Lost and Found
by PiyuPiyu
Summary: A story of losing and finding—both happening in a blink of an eye. Of a man loving a woman who's like a flower living on a star far away from his arms. Joseph is the newly crowned King of Genovia, and he's in search of Clarisse who disappears as suddenly as she came into his life. Please read and review! Thank you!


"Lost and Found"

Author: PiyuPiyu

Rating: T, but I might change it into M in the near future! *winks*

Disclaimer: We all know they all belong to Disney, Buena Vista, and Meg Cabot. I only own the plot and the names that will be used in the future chapters. I also don't make any money from writing this.

This is my very first fanfic, and I hope you'd enjoy it. Please leave a comment after reading! Thank you!

Prologue: Lost

_-Three Days After-_

He had lost her.

And now, he was losing himself.

Joseph Renaldi buried his head in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, wanting everything around him to vanish, to disintegrate—if that could only happen. There was a soft yet audible knock on his office door. He raised his head and blinked hard, but shut his eyes right away.

Was it just three days ago? Or was it only yesterday when they found happiness in a wrecked place at the most inopportune time?

Or was he just traumatized of the accident and all of its effects were taking their toll on him, and all of this nonsense was just fragments of dreams that were results of all those drug-induced sleep he had had?

Another knock. He blinked again and he was back to where he thought was real but was like a dream—because it was just too perfect to be real.

_She was lying in his arms, beautiful like an angel, her short golden hair strewn above her head like a halo. "Hey."_

_"Yes?" He looked down at her, knowing she had been staring at him for a while, the warmth of her soft body seeping through his hard one._

_"You're too quiet. Anything wrong?" she whispered, and then he looked away. He couldn't let her see the worry, because he was sure it was etched all over his face. He couldn't let her worry herself._

_"No, nothing. . . I was just thinking," he muttered as he fingered the errant blonde curls on her forehead, and then smiled at her. But his smile slowly faded away after a few silent moments. It seemed that he couldn't keep this from her. And with a sigh, he spoke his thoughts out. "These all happened quite too fast, didn't they?"_

_There was another silent moment before she spoke up. "Quite fast, yes."_

_"What will happen after all of these?"_

_"We stay as what we are now, happy and contented." She smiled and smoothed the crease formed on his forehead. "Now, now, stop thinking too much." She slid higher to cup his face, moving closer into his embrace, put two of her fingers on either sides of his lips and stretched it into a smile. "And smile."_

_He caught her hand and chuckled, "Yes, ma'am." He pressed her more closely as he savored the feeling of her body next to his. But using a more serious tone, he asked her, "Would you rather stay with me here?" He wanted to know, he just needed to know, to be assured—even though he knew there were obstacles in their way that they must overcome first._

_She pursed her lips close and took a moment to answer. "You don't have to ask me, you know my answer." She pressed her lips against his and reached for his other hand. "Just remember, you will always be here and here." She put it on her head then above her heart. "And I will always be in yours."_

_He tightened his hold on her hand. "I know you will. You always will. . ."_

_Where are you now, Clarisse?_ he thought to himself. If he found her now, would she recognize him? Why did she leave him when she promised to stay with him? _No, she did not! the irrational part of his brain shouted at him. She was playing you all along! Now she have you tightly collared around the neck and even now that she's gone already, you're like a dog aimlessly searching for your master!_

She vanished as suddenly as she'd appeared into his life, leaving him thoroughly changed. She'd given him everything that he needed but never had wanted to have, and everything he wanted but never had needed, and filled the gap he had had, that big black hole of emptiness inside him since he was a child. He'd received the love that he'd never had, that he never thought he would have. But now that she had left him, that filled emptiness was again drained—not only was it a huge part of him, it was now in his very core, in his very center. His life before had been not perfect but relatively good enough for a human being to live on, but now. . . he was alive, yes, but he was not _living_ at all.

Another intruding knock again—the sound it made echoing in his room three times, breaking the little world his memories had made and bringing him back into reality. He forcefully opened his eyes and collected himself some composure, putting that well-practiced smile on his lips. "Yes, yes, you may come in."

Charlotte, his assistant, stepped into his office and curtsied. "Your Majesty, there's a phone call for you. Line one." And here was the long awaited call. It had finally come, hopefully with news of her whereabouts.

"Thank you, Charlotte. You may leave now."

But before Charlotte walked out of the room, in hopes of encouraging him, she said, "We will find her, Sir." In the long years Charlotte had been working as a personal assistant, Joseph had become a family to her. He also treated her like she was a part of his. The King wasn't just her employer; he was also her friend, a big brother to her. When she needed a hand, he was there to give it. Now that he needed someone to support him, she'd make sure she'd be there with him wherever this search might take them.

Ever grateful Charlotte was there trying to lift his hopes up, Joseph let his mask slip a little. "We will, Charlotte."

When he was again all alone in the silence of his dark office, he closed his eyes, letting everything drown him, suffocate him to sleep. _Wherever she is, please keep her safe,_ he prayed to gods he didn't quite believed in.

**-**TBC-


End file.
